Navaratri Celebrations in a Housing Society – Tips You Can Try

When it comes to religious events in a housing society, Navaratri is a popular Hindu festival that you can celebrate within the complex. The festival revolves around Goddess Durga and is an occasion for families in a housing society to come together through community celebrations on a grand scale where everyone can gather and celebrate together.

The Magic of Navaratri

Navaratri translates literally to nine nights in Sanskrit and during this period, idols of the Goddess are placed in homes and temples and they are immersed in water on the tenth day.

In south Indian cities, families place golu (an array of idols and figurines) in their house and people visit their neighbours and family members to view each other’s golu collection.

Navaratri Tips for a Housing Society

You can create a central Navaratri event in order to bring the residents together. This should be done through the apartment association.

Once you get the plans verified by the housing society association, you can assign responsibilities to different residents and collect money from all residents in order to organize the event. You can handle the accounts yourself or delegate the responsibility to another resident.

• Organize a Main Event

With the help of the other residents, you can organize housing society celebrations where everyone can gather together instead of holding individual events. This can help in preventing the wastage of food, water, electricity and other resources.

You can talk to the managing committee and arrange for an idol that can be housed in one of the common areas for the general celebrations and prayers.

• Promote Homemade Sweets

You can inform all families to make their own sweets and bring them for the main event, as buying sweets from outside can be quite expensive for such a huge event. This will also bring some variety into the proceedings and families will be able to share these sweets and get to know each other.

If possible, give away the remaining food after the celebrations to the less fortunate who may not be able to afford such luxuries.

• Keep Your Sound Levels Down

While celebrating Navaratri in a housing society, care should be taken to ensure that the noise level does not get out of control as it can be a source of extreme discomfort for neighbours and other nearby buildings.

Since Navaratri lays great importance on the recitation of religious hymns and prayers and also involves a number of pujas, chances are that sometimes festivities can get a little out of hand. It is imperative that no one is disturbed in the excitement of the festival and its celebration.

• Spare a Thought for the Environment

Immersing idols of the Goddess in the water is common practice and care should be taken to ensure that the idols are immersed in predefined locations within the housing society. Setting up an artificial body of water can be a good idea. All idols should be made of naturally degradable substances that do not cause any environmental harm, and you can spread such awareness.

Try and use a single idol for the entire housing society as this would be extremely beneficial and go a long way in helping the environment and setting an example. With the right steps, celebrating Navaratri in a housing society can be a unique experience.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

The common terrace, as the name suggests, is a public space that’s open to all residents in a housing society. Since this space is used by everybody in the housing society, it’s the responsibility of every resident to contribute towards its maintenance.

When dirt accumulates in the terrace and water is allowed to stagnate, the terrace will turn into a hotbed for mosquitoes and other parasites, giving rise to diseases and infections that the residents will be exposed to.

For this reason, every person using the terrace should make it a point to keep the terrace clean and tidy throughout the year.

Maintenance Tips for the Terrace

If you find that your housing society terrace is in bad condition, you can inform the apartment association about the same so that some steps can be taken in order to rectify the situation. The maintenance team should at least clean the terrace once a week.

Apart from the maintenance team, all residents should take a keen interest in maintaining the terrace as it qualifies as common property.

• The terrace should be regularly washed and dirt should be periodically removed.
• The maintenance team should regularly sweep the terrace floor and keep the place clean of leaves or feathers or plastic covers.
• Water should not be allowed to stagnate and the terrace should always be kept dry. Stagnant water or seepage can also weaken the building, so this should be avoided.
• The rain water from the terrace should be diverted to a storage area. The RWH system should have a proper outlet and this structure should be regularly maintained.
• The outlets of the RWH system should be cleaned so that there’s no seepage or leaks in the system. Sometimes the drain might be blocked due to accumulating rubbish, so this should be cleaned in a timely manner.
• If the residents use the open terrace for organizing functions, get-togethers, or parties, the space should be extensively cleaned after the event.
• The railing in a terrace should be properly maintained as it is an important safety feature. Metal railing should be oiled and kept clean by the maintenance crew in order to prevent its weakening.

Maintaining a good terrace certainly has its benefits:

• The terrace could be place where all the residents come together for festivals and functions.
• A well maintained terrace can be an ideal spot for a playing range (if the walls are safely high) or a small garden.

Even special terraces like these need to be maintained well, because terrace gardens can make the space prone to dry and dead leaves. You can contribute to the maintenance of the terrace by taking the initiative and organizing a cleaning schedule for all residents.

This can be held during a weekend and it can be a fun way for the residents to get together while cleaning the terrace and clearing away the dust and dirt. A well maintained terrace can help you prevent infections and diseases and in keeping the housing society clean.

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Colorful Onam arrangements are often made in a housing society to cater to the multicultural crowd of people who stay in such complexes. The festival of Onam is celebrated with much fervor and zeal for a period of ten days, especially in the state of Kerala.

Onam Arrangements in a Housing Society

You can get your friends and other residents together this Onam by organizing some group activities that you can run by the apartment association team, before you carry them out.

• Make Pookkalam or Floral Arrangements

One of the key features of this festival is the intricately designed floral Rangoli which is spotted at the entranceway of all houses. In a housing society, you can hold a competition among all residents during the festive season Onam.

Instead of plucking the flowers from the premises (for use in these rangoli), the housing society can arrange for the wholesale purchase of flowers which serves as an efficient cost cutting solution.

• Organize Various Games

The highlight of Onam and probably the most enjoyable part about the festival is the numerous outdoor games that are played during Onam in Kerala. Organize games such as Talappanthukali (a ball game), Kayyankali (a one-to-one fight) and Ambeyyal (A form of archery) and youngsters can participate in these games.

• Host a Tradition Onam Meal

On Onam, people come together and feast on mouth-watering delicacies. The housing society can organize a potluck feast, where each family is in charge of making a particular traditional dish. The delicious food items are served and eaten on banana leaves.

The meals are grand and sometimes more than 13 to 15 curries are served in addition to the regular items. Once you get all residents to participate, there’ll be a lot of variety as far as the dishes are concerned. An Onam feast is incomplete without the traditional pickles and papadam!

• Organize Traditional Dances

You can also try and arrange for various dance groups to perform within the premises of the housing society during the festival of Onam. Kaikotti Kali is a dance form performed by eight to twelve women who wear the traditional Kerala Saris and dance around a holy lamp called the Deepam.

Pulikali is traditional dance where the performers paint themselves in red, yellow and black symbolizing a tiger. The residents can join in with the dancers and enjoy an evening full of merriment. While bringing in dancers and other outsiders, though, security measures must be tight and beefed up.

• Have a Firework Show

During the festival, lamps are lit in all houses and temples and the sky comes alive with a vibrant display of fireworks. With the help of the other residents, you can arrange for a firework display in your housing society and the money for this can be collected in a common way.

• Set Up Shopping Stalls

Shopping for new attire and furniture is another key feature of the festival of Onam. Try and talking to the apartment management and see if you can allow various traders and stores to set up stalls within the premises selling traditional Onam attire and other accessories, for the convenience of the families.

Onam is no longer a festival that’s restricted to malayalis – there are many people who follow the festival thanks to its vibrant nature. With the above mentioned tips, you can conduct a memorable Onam event in your housing society.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

Come Republic Day or Independence Day, the members of every apartment complex will organize an Indian flag hoisting ceremony – Here’s a brief synopsis of the Indian flag hoisting rules so that you celebrate the day the “right” way!

The Need

It’s important to be aware of the Indian flag hoisting rules purely because the Indian flag is a national symbol and the government has laid down certain instructions for its proper display.

The managing committee in any apartment complex should take up the responsibility of ensuring that all these instructions are fully followed.

Apart from the managing committee, it is also essential for every resident in the apartment complex to be aware of these rules so that no misuse occurs, either deliberately or by accident.

What The Laws State

The Indian Flag Code specifies the dimensions of the flag and how it should be constructed. This is a measure taken to ensure that the flags used everywhere are similar in their design and size.

The Construction

• The Indian flag should be a perfect rectangle, with a ratio of 3:2 between the length and the width.
• It should be made of handspun khadi, or of cotton, silk or wool.
• The flag should be split into three equal panels – a saffron panel at the top, a white panel in the middle and a green panel at the bottom, thus constituting the tricolor.
• A navy blue Ashoka Chakra should adorn the centre of the white panel, with 24 spokes that are equally spaced.
• The flag’s size should be one among these: 150×100, 225×150, 450×300, 900×600, 1350×900, 1800×1200, 2700×1800, 3600×2400, and 6300×4200 (in mm).

Notice the equally spaced spokes in the Chakra.. that’s important!

The Indian flag hoisting rules also cover instances of the flag’s misuse and specify the proper procedure through which the flag should be hoisted.

• The national flag should not be used to cover any building or vehicle (including aircrafts, road vehicles and boats).
• During an Indian flag hoisting ceremony, the saffron panel should always be on top. The flag should never be hoisted upside down.
• The Indian flag should hold no lettering or inscriptions of any kind, and it should never touch the ground or trail in water.
• The National Flag should not be used for covering any speaker’s desk, platform or monument.
• There should be no emblem or flag to the national flag’s right, or above the national flag.
• In a procession where there are other flags involved, the Indian flag should either be carried on the marching right, or up front, ahead of the central line.
• The flag should never be flown at half mast, unless the government specifically demands that it should be.
• There should be no other flags in the same masthead in which the Indian flag is hoisted.
• Paper flags can be used during days of national importance. However, these paper flags should not be thrown on the ground after their use in public and they should be disposed of in a dignified manner, privately.
• A damaged flag should never be displayed, and such flags can be privately disposed by burning.
• The national anthem should be sung once people salute the flag. It’s important to follow the etiquette specified for the national anthem as well.
• It is common practice in functions to allow the national flag to hold flower petals. Although this is an accepted practice, the Indian flag code prevents the use of any confetti or decorative materials other than flower petals.

The Apartment managing committee can take things a step further by printing out such rules (that many people are bound to be unaware of) and giving all residents a copy, so that they follow the same. It’s a great way to educate the public on the Indian flag and the national pride that it represents.

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This article aims at collating and providing information for benefit of ApnaComplex customers and blog readers. While ApnaComplex has taken every care to ensure the information is accurate, we suggest to please use it only as a guidance for further discussion and action with help of relevant professionals. If you need professional advise on this topic and any other property related matters, please send your request through our contact us form. You may post your questions/inputs in the Comments section below and we will try and get them answered through relevant subject matter experts.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) has been made mandatory for every housing society and independent household, and in order to ensure that your housing society is following the norms specified by the government, you’ll have to understand the given guidelines.

Rain water harvesting guidelines for housing societies and residential spaces in Bangalore vary largely from those in other cities in terms of implementation. In 2009, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board enforced RWH implementation in certain areas of city and these guidelines were introduced.

RWH Guidelines in Bangalore City

• The occupier (tenant) or the owner of a particular building (which stands on more than 2400 square feet area), or every owner who proposes to erect a building on an area of 1200 square feet or more, should construct a rainwater harvesting structure.
• The volume for recharge or storage of rain water should be a minimum of 20 liters per square meter and 10 liters per square meter on the non-roof area of the site.
• Bore-wells can be recharged by using the necessary catchment management systems and fillers in the rain water harvesting setup.
• Rainwater that’s collected from the roof should not be sent to a live bore-well, even if it’s taken through a filter.
• The rainwater should be sent to a separate open well near the bore-well. The water from the open well can be fed into the bore-well if it reaches very low capacity.
• Filters should be mandatorily used, although the type of filter can vary depending on the owner’s preference.

If a residential complex or a standalone house does not have a rain water harvesting system that’s been government approved, then the drinking water supply to that particular house will normally be cut till the specified changes are made. This was introduced by the government when it was noted that many residents weren’t following the specified deadline.

As of 2009, the Government identified about 58,000 buildings where RWH systems had to be installed mandatorily.

Tips for Installing Rain Water Harvesting System

Following the RWH guidelines won’t be difficult for a residential building or a housing society in Bangalore if it meets some basic requirements. The first and foremost requirement is to have a sump tank to preserve water.

Also, every building should have an installed pipeline to redirect rain water from the catchment area to the tank. A facility to clean the catchment area should also be present in every building to avoid bacterial growth, which can contaminate the water and affect the residents.

• For installing the system, the managing committee can avail the services of a rainwater harvesting expert who will be able to set up a working model.
• The rooftop area in the housing society or any open ground area can serve as the catchment region. Ensure that both these areas are wide enough to hold a tank.
• Ensure that the roof top area is continuously cleaned by the maintenance team to avoid bacterial growth.

Setting up an RWH system can provide a secondary source of water for all members of the housing society and make it a decidedly green zone. It can also help in preventing water logging and effectively remove the problem of stagnant water in the terrace and other areas.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

The smell of wet earth and the feel of a light drizzle on your face during the monsoon can seem very appealing indeed. Rain in India comes as a welcome relief after stiflingly hot weather, but the monsoon rains can cause their fair share of problems. Are you prepared to deal with all the monsoon related issues this season in your housing society?

Preparing for the Rains

While your housing society was being built, the builders would have taken measures to weatherproof your house to ensure that there are no cracks on the wall and no leaky ceilings. In case you detect any signs of moisture seeping in, you have to take immediate steps to deal with it. Dampness over time can affect your walls and roofs and damage the overall housing society structures and weaken them.

Drainage and Ventilation

Your housing society flat should have a proper drainage system that leads water away from the house and does not allow it to settle near the walls. You should also set up a good ventilation system to let out the humidity and air the rooms. Kitchens and bathrooms need special care as these are the areas most exposed to smoke, steam and moisture. A good chimney and exhaust fan in the kitchen and good ventilation in the bathrooms should take care of this. If your bathrooms do not have adequate ventilation, try installing a ceiling fan to dry up the excess moisture.

Keep your cupboards well aired and dry. If the rain gets in through the windows, make sure it dries up quickly. Mop up any extra water that enters your house and wipe the place dry.

Decorating Your House for the Rains

The monsoon brings with it heavy grey clouds and subdued sunlight. To offset the darkness outside, make sure that the space inside is well lit and cheery. Do not use shades and colored lights during this season. Make sure that the lights are bright enough to light up the room, yet soft enough so that they are not hard on the eyes.

Carpets and Mats

Roll up your expensive soft carpets in the living room. This is the season of mud and damp footprints, so replace the carpet with acrylic or plastic matting. These come in attractive colors, designs and textures, so you can choose them to suit your home and tastes.

Make sure that you have enough mats at the entrance to scrape off mud from shoes and dry wet feet. Use rubber and coir mats at entrances and soft mats that can soak up moisture inside. Make sure you have enough spare mats to replace the soft mats when they get dirty and need to be washed.

Brighten Up the Rooms

Use bright flowers and decorations to lend a cheery air to the rooms. Use light, translucent curtains and brightly colored linens and bed sheets to perk up the interiors. Shut the windows tight during a heavy downpour and open them when the rain stops. Mesh net screen windows are a good way to let in the air and light and grab a splendid view of freshly washed plants and trees after a shower, while keeping out all insects.

If you take some simple steps and precautions to prevent the moist conditions from invading your house, you can enjoy all the positive sights and sounds of the monsoon season without worrying about the amount of water that the rain dumps outside your house. Prepare your housing society flat for the monsoon and then go ahead and enjoy the rains.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

Monsoon in India is always unpredictable, and the intensity of showers may vary greatly from place to place, with time. While the heavy rains might not create much havoc in a well planned housing society that has a good drainage system and well established monsoon measures, sometimes due to unprecedented showers, water stagnation and subsequent flooding might occur if the drains get blocked.

This might not have much of an effect on all residents, but the ones residing in the ground floor will feel the pinch as water may creep into their homes through cracks and faults, if any. Preparing your ground floor flat for the monsoon and fixing any blatant issues beforehand can help in this regard.

What You Can Do

• Check the walls and ceiling for leaks

Even minor cracks along the walls can bring about heavy leaks due to the monsoon rains. There are many home care and maintenance products that are available in the market and you can use these to fix minor leaks. If the cracks or fissures are major, opt for professional help and fix them well before the monsoon, because fixing a leak may be tedious at that time.

• Check the wiring and electrical equipment

Indefinite electrical shutdowns or power cuts are quite common during the rainy season. Additionally, water can seep into faulty electrical panels or equipments around the house and this may create an environment that’s conducive to electrical shocks and breakdowns. List out your electrical appliances and check their wiring. Cover all appliances properly and replace old wires with new quality wires while making sure that they have been proper earthed.

• Check all wooden doors and windows

Apartments in the ground floor tend to collect more moisture owing to the stagnant water bodies around the outside walls during the monsoon. Increased moisture may cause your wooden doors to swell, and this may ruin the decor of your house and jam the door temporarily as well. Chipping off the section of the door or window that gets stuck will solve the problem in this case. Also, the hinges and locks must be checked for proper operation.

• Cover the windows and open areas

The windows on the ground floor can be partially covered to guide the rain water away from the wall. This will also allow less damping, ensuring lesser chances of seepages. Also, open areas like balconies can be covered to restrict rain water from stagnating around the house, which may promote the growth of mosquitoes.

• Roll up your carpets and heavy curtains

Staying on the ground floor results in lesser cross ventilation, leading to more humidity inside. Remove all carpets and heavy curtains and pack them up before the monsoon starts. You can facilitate ventilation by using lighter curtains, as these will help you avoid a damp and humid environment.

• Maintain all wooden cupboards and drawers

High levels of moisture on the ground floor can often cause your wooden cupboards and drawers to get jammed. You can place camphor in your drawers and cupboards as this will effectively prevent them from getting stuck and causing any inconvenience. Chip off the swollen sections that you find in your cupboard doors.

Planning for the monsoon season well in advance and taking up these preventive measures can help you bring down the issues that ground floor residents normally face during the monsoon.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

Rain gutters are used to direct rain water away from the building. If you ignore the gutters in your housing society building and allow them to get clogged, the rain water will overflow beyond a point and get dumped down along the sides of your house. If you stay in an apartment compelx with basement parking, the water can even enter your vehicles and mess them up.

Rain Gutters and Drainage

Rain gutters collect water and channel it along the edges of the roof towards a downpipe which drains the water. This prevents the water from seeping through into the building and causing problems related to dampness, and mold and mildew.

Keeping the Gutters Clean

If you have easy and safe access to the roof of the housing society, this can be an easy task. Regularly sweep out leaves and other debris that can clog up the gutters and pipes. If you face difficulty in accessing your roof, it is better to hire a professional to perform the cleaning process, especially during the rainy season.

Ensure that the gutters are smooth and allow the water to flow freely towards the downspout. Any rough edges or ridges on the surface can cause water to collect and not drain properly. If you have a problem with falling leaves and other wastes, you need to clean it regularly to prevent stagnation of water and overflow.

Water stagnation can also cause other problems. Stagnant water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests. You can install mesh or wire covers over the gutter as these will prevent the buildup of debris. This step will also bring in the concept of proper maintenance of the covers, as if you let them get blocked, rain water will not seep through to the gutters and instead, will spill over the sides of the building.

Trim the Trees

If you find that there’s a tree that has branches hanging near the roof, it should be a definite cause for concern. Leaves and seeds from the tree will find their way into the gutter eventually. You can try trimming the branches that actually reach over the roof so that this problem is eliminated. You can either do this on your own or talk to the housing society maintenance team.

‘Doing it Yourself’ Methods

To clean the gutter, scoop out the dirt and leaves and dump them into a canvas bag. If the downpipe is clogged, insert a hose down the pipe and turn on the water. The force of the water should clear out any blockage and flush it out of the pipe. You can then hose down and clean the gutters to clear away any remaining dirt.

If you have installed gutter covers, you should sweep away any dirt and debris from it and clean it up with a hose.

If the covers are blocked, you need to remove them and do a thorough job of cleaning and clearing the covers before putting them back in place. Put the covers back on and wipe off any dirt remaining in and around the area.

Call for Help

If you are facing a serious problem of blockage and debris build-up, it is better to call in professional helpers. In fact, it is a good idea to hire a professional through your managing committee to clean up the rain gutters at least twice a year.

Keeping the rain gutters clean not only ensures proper drainage of rain water; it also prevents water stagnation in the gutters, which can invite mosquitoes and other insects. Clean gutters and downpipes drain away the water and redirect it back to the ground, away from the housing society, from where it can eventually flow underground and replenish the water table.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!

Refrigerators are one of the major energy hungry appliances in a housing society. They might use less power than the air conditioners or the electric water heaters present in all flats in a housing society, but you can turn off the AC or the water heater. The refrigerator is a continuously run appliance that you cannot switch off.

Think of your refrigerator and then think of the number of houses in your housing society. How many refrigerators does it translate to? The total energy cost would be eye popping. And that is just limited to your housing society, while the city is bound to have more such societies by the dozen.

Wouldn’t you jump at an option to save on all that expense?
You don’t have to go back to using earthenware pots and storing food in cool dark shelves and there are many practical solutions that you can choose.

Energy Efficient Models

The solution is to go and buy an energy efficient model to replace your old energy guzzler. If your fridge was bought in the 1990s or earlier, consider getting a new model. The newer refrigerators are vastly more energy efficient than the older models. More efficient compressors and better insulation, results in much lower power consumption.

Newer energy efficient models have to follow more stringent energy use standards. With all the competition, most companies try to provide more energy efficiency than the standard required by the BEE. You can benefit from the same.

Lower Electric Bills

There’s a reason why every resident in a housing society should care about this issue and the most important point is to cut costs. You are sure to be paying utility bills every month – wouldn’t you love to see your power bills go down? Replacing them with energy efficient models means lower power consumption, and lesser costs.  Look for BEE labels on the products; they are an assurance that the models follow the standards set by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Cost to the Environment

In most areas, electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels like coal. These release carbon-dioxide into the air. The more energy you use, the more carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere. This traps heat on the earth’s surface, causing the green house effect. That is why summers are getting hotter every year.

Even if you don’t particularly care about ecology, it still comes back to affect you. The hotter the climate gets, the more you need to use appliances like the AC and the fridge. That again translates to higher energy bills.

Depletion of Fossil Fuels

The more power you use, the more fossil fuels are used up. The problem is that these are not sustainable energy sources and one day, they will run out. So, until safe viable alternatives are found to satisfy the ever increasing need for power – electricity or motor fuel – we need to conserve what we have.

Energy Rating

As of 2010, BEE labeling has been made mandatory for Frost Free Refrigerators, while labeling is still voluntary for Direct Cool systems. These star rated refrigerators might cost a bit more. But when you factor in the cost savings in terms of lowered electric bills, you could probably recover the cost in two or three years. That is not bad for a machine that would probably be used for around a decade, if maintained well.

A housing society comprises several residences. Count the total cost in terms of money, energy, and the cost to the environment. If the members of your housing society get together and decide to use energy efficient appliances, think of how much you could be saving.

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ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trail as well so that you can try before you buy!

Residents in every housing society will be striving to come up with fresh ideas to organize get togethers. If you feel that you’re facing the same fix, why not throw a pool party, if your housing society has a pool? A pool party is a great way to have fun.

But organizing a pool party will be the hard part, and you’ll have to take care of all the intricacies involved as a team. If you keep it simple and plan ahead, you can have a great and safe pool party. Get your housing society association to prepare the pool first and you can chip in with the other residents and contribute effectively.

Pre-Party Planning

Plan your party well. This way, you will encounter fewer hassles during the party. Plan out the many sections during the party and how the event will progress. List out the performers, if any, and create a detailed schedule.

Invitations

First send out fun invitations. They can be a simple ‘you are invited to our pool party’ to beach themed cards accompanied by matching confetti. If you live in a big housing society, you could probably just have the invitation delivered by hand.

Clean the Pool

Help the housing society association along with the other residents to ensure that the pool is clean and freshly filled for the party.

Divide the Area Around the Pool

Ensure that there is an area where the guests can change their clothes. Divide areas for lounging, playing games, may be even a barbeque. Probably, the housing society would’ve planned these divisions too, when they built the pool. Once you divide the area, things will run smoothly.

Arrange for Food and Drinks

Depending on the type of party you are arranging, you can plan for some light snacks and drinks, or a tropical themed fare.

Provide Lots of Towels

Be prepared with lots of clean towels for the guests. If you don’t have enough towels to go around, ask the guests to be sure to bring their own.

Dry the Surrounding Tiles

Ensure that the area around the pool remains clean and non-slippery. This will help you avoid nasty accidents.

Provide Pool Toys

Have a lot of inflatable rafts and tubes and toys, for both the adults and kids. These can help them stay afloat and increase the fun quotient.

Supervise the Kids

Kids are the ones who are probably going to enjoy the party the most. But make sure that one or more of the adults take turns watching the kids, to keep them safe.

Arrange for Some Music

Arrange for some nice beach themed music and play them through the poolside speakers. Don’t make it too loud, as it can disrupt conversations that people maybe having.

Organize Games

Organize fun games to keep the guests entertained. Search the net for some nice party game ideas and implement the same.

Sunscreens and Shades

Provide the guests with sunscreens and shades. If there are trees around the area of the pool, they can be used after obtaining due permission. You can also put up umbrella shades.

First Aid Kits

Keep such kits handy, and hope that you’ll never need them. After all, it may come in handy if a kid falls and skins his knee.

The Table

Cover the table in a bright colored cloth. Use bright flowers as the centerpiece. Keep plates of food ready and the drinks cool and fresh. Arrange for the food along with the other residents and keep vegetarian and non vegetarian items separately.

Pool parties are a nice way to beat the heat during summer. If you live in a housing society, it can be easier to arrange. You can have the housing society association prepare the pools and arrange for the chairs. Pool parties are by nature informal and so, a great way to meet people and get acquainted.

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